I Cheerfully Refuse

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. Throughout the novel, Rainy uses music as a healing force to calm others and process his own emotions. What role has music or art played in your own life during times of grief or significant transition?

2. Rainy grapples with how to honor Lark’s memory while moving forward with his life. Have you experienced a situation in which you had to balance paying homage to someone’s legacy and creating your own path forward?

3. Rainy’s protection of Sol ultimately helps him navigate his grief. Have you ever found that helping someone else became an unexpected path through your own hardship?

4. The novel portrays communities like Icebridge and Jolie as maintaining some semblance of normalcy despite the societal deterioration. What aspects of your own community provide stability during unstable times?

5. Lark consistently saw the best in people, even those who hurt her, while Rainy struggled with forgiveness and a desire for revenge. Where do you fall on this spectrum, and has your position evolved throughout your life?

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. Enger portrays a world in which public services have deteriorated and ultra-wealthy “astronauts” have essentially created a feudal system. What warning does this offer about the potential consequences of unchecked wealth concentration in today’s society?

2. In the novel’s world, climate change has progressed to the point that corpses rise from Lake Superior as temperatures climb. How does this vivid imagery affect your understanding of the potential long-term effects of environmental degradation?

3. The compliance drugs developed on the medicine ship represent a disturbing method of controlling the working class. What parallels do you see between this fictional form of control and real-world systems that maintain power imbalances?

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. The novel-within-a-novel, I Cheerfully Refuse, shares its title with Enger’s work. What is the significance of Molly Thorn’s book in the story, and how does it reflect or influence Rainy’s journey?

2. Rainy is repeatedly compared to a bear, while Werryck’s power lies not in his physical presence but in his gaze and influence. How do these and other character descriptions contribute to the story’s portrayal of power dynamics?

3. In the novel, music has nearly magical qualities: It can influence emotions, memories, and even physical responses. How does this portrayal connect to the Orpheus myth, and what commentary does it offer about the role of art in society?

4. The novel uses Lake Superior almost as a character itself—unpredictable, dangerous, yet also offering passage and possibility. How does the lake function symbolically throughout the narrative?

5. Several characters, including Lark and Molly Thorn, exist primarily through memory or story rather than direct action. How did this narrative choice affect your connection to these characters and to Rainy’s quest?

6. The novel’s structure follows Rainy’s physical journey across Lake Superior. How does this external journey mirror his internal processing of grief? What significance do specific locations like the Slate Islands hold?